you know if you buy your leather goods from high-end stores where items cost an arm and a leg that you have got the genuine article.
hey, i have nothing against faux leather, i use the material an awful lot, but i sure want to know how to tell one from the other so i don’t get highway robbed in bargain situations. and i sure love tiangges.
from gadis kooky.
how to tell genuine from faux leather:
read it. labels proudly declare that it is real leather if it is real. i guess this would work in brand shops and in reputable department stores, but what about those you get from bazaars and tiangges? sure, the salesperson and the label would tell you it’s genuine, but how can you tell if this is true? same goes for vintage outlets.
from bid or buy.
burn it. i don’t recommend that, but that’s probably the most surefire way to tell. just fyi puposes: real leather burns into a certain shade and texture, thus the art of leather-etching; and it should emit an odor much like scorched hair (are you familiar with that?). whereas, faux leather should burn like plastic. believe me, i’ve caused enough damage on leatherette goods with cigarettes.
smell it. leather has a distinct smell to it that can’t be replicated by synthetic materials. this olfactory skill is developed through practice. go around stores and take a whiff of the real leather items. then smell the faux ones. you will learn to tell the difference. the higher-end the item, the stronger the smell (something some customers actually don’t like despite the prestige). however, here’s the important thing to know: there are many synthetic leather items now that are “infused” or sprayed with some sort of aroma simulating the smell of leather. at this point, one would need superior senses to tell. since we are not sherlock holmes, i understand how many of us are fooled by these leather-scented faux items.
feel it. specifically the edges where it’s been cut. real leather is supposed to be quite ragged to the touch. even the laser-cut ones have pretty rough edges (considering they were cauterized). fake leather is like… uh, styro? i don’t know how else to describe it. other man-made materials that aren’t pvc have frayed or fibrous ends. no real leather has fibers. if you’ve got the hang of distinguishing with your sense of touch, run your fingers across the surface. there should be some irregularities in the feel of genuine leather. all areas of leatherette feel the same.
from lasercutting shapes.
dig your nail into it. if you create an indentation that disappears slowly, it’s real, especially if you rub it to smoothen (you know how your skin depresses where you dig your nail? it’s like that)… if you don’t, it’s not.
zone in on it. carefully examine the pores. you might even want to whip out your handy magnifying glass (hey! i used to carry a mag glass, a compass and a stopwatch in my bag. maybe you’re like me) to help if your eyesight is limited. real leather pores should show an irregular pattern (i mean, look at your own pores… are they in regimental arrangement like polka dots?). synthetic leather has pores spaced at regular intervals. that’s the work of inanimate machines in an assembly line after all, not nature. (btw, examining pores in leather gives me the creeps)
from styleforum.
master your investigative skills and you’ll never be fooled by false claims.
oh, and i love the books bound in vintage leather! don’t you?
from harvest books.
